Neophobia, the fear of novelty, is an ecologically important response which enables animals to avoid potentially harmful situations. Neophobia is ma cognitive processes by which individuals distinguish novelty from familiarity.
We tested 21 adult, captive bread Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko) on their ability to discriminate familiar from novel prey. We also looked their reaction when presented with an object (familiar or novel) next to food and their reaction when entering a novel space.
On the 29th of July 2022, I gave a talk at the International conferences for the Study of Behavioural Ecology in Stockholm, Sweden presenting this study and the results. Below you can watch my pre-recorded talk.
AUTHORS
Birgit Szabo 1, Eva Ringler 1
AFFILIATION
1 Division of Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, Switzerland